The Next Generation
by smooth like shattered glass
Summary: After the Mockingjay settles down in her nest and has her baby birds a calm settles over her. As Rue grows up she starts to wonder why her father isnt completely there or why her mother fears the underground and sent of roses, the parts of history they dont teach you in school.
1. Chapter 1

The Next Generation

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games the characters setting and general plot belong to Suzanne Collins**

**DO NOT READ UNTIL AFTER FINISHING THE MOCKINGJAY BY SUZANNE COLLINS. THIS CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS**  
Chapter One: Children of the victors

They play on TV still, those scary games. Mommy watches and cries, Daddy clenches his fists and closes his eyes. I understand that those where horrible days. I understand that mommy and daddy fought to free us and daddy still fights against himself. I am named for a friend of mommy, a little girl she once knew in those days, who was killed when she was only twelve. My brother is named for a friend who saved daddy's life more than once and died in the war saving mommy and daddy.

My name is Rue, my brother is Finnick. We live in what used to be district 12 in the once terrible country of Panem. Mommy and daddy call us their baby birds, their little mockingjays. In the war for freedom mommy was the Mockingjay. She and daddy rebelled in their first games and both won despite the odds.

"Happy hunger Games!" I whisper to myself now in the old Capitol accent, "and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

"What does that mean" Finnick asks as he always does when I say it or he hears it on TV, "what does what mean?"

"Mommy! Daddy! When did you get here?" now that I'm 6 I'm aloud to go to the meadow by myself but they follow me a lot

"Two seconds ago. Your brother wanted to play. So we brought him down." Daddy always answered first when they came here.

"I want to know what it means! Will anyone tell me!" This three year old has a one track mind.

"Little Mockingjay, what did you say?"

"Just that old thing at the beginning of each of the games in the accent…. Sorry mommy I know you hate that…"

Certain words are bad to say to them, and the list is long: the games, hunger games, President Snow, tributes, death. Even Primrose, the name of my late aunt, isn't ok. When any of these words are said either mommy or daddy, sometimes both, left us. Well, they stood there like they were but their smiles would disappear and their eyes would be somewhere else and it took a lot of time to get them back.


	2. Chapter 2: Following in her footsteps

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. The characters setting and general plot belong to Suzanne Collins. **

**DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE MOCKINGJAY. THIS CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS**

The Next Generation

Chapter Two: following in her footsteps

By the time I turned twelve I knew more about mom and dad. Their fears and why they disappeared on my twelfth birthday. Or why Mom screams in her sleep. When the hunger games where a threat on children, those at the age of twelve could be reaped, or picked to be a tribute, and though it was rare a twelve year old could be picked against the odds and be murdered. Mom knew it was over, the hunger games, but sometimes I wonder if they would never be over for her.

By sixteen I had found an escape from Mom and Dad's pasts alive in their minds and Finnicks hovering and questions as he learns about our history. Days when I don't help Dad at the bakery or Mom around the house, I say I'm going to the meadow, now I'm old enough they don't follow me anymore, and I slip out under the fence into the woods. Now, mom has a friend from her days in "the seam" that stops in occasionally on official work but he always comes to see us. And we never knew when he was coming.

I found a spot in the woods between two boulders that I liked to sit close my eyes and listen to the sounds of nature. I was on my way there today when I heard a familiar voice. Hearing a voice out here never happens and I never expected this voice out of all the possibilities.

"Stealing is punishable by death in district 12."

"Gale! What are you doing here? In the woods? Outside of district 12?" Gale was the most serious person I have ever met, and I knew wasn't a rule breaker.

"Just following the footprints I know so well and the escape route I've used since I was about your age. What are you doing here other then stealing that is?"

"I'm not stealing anything just going to sit in a spot I know…. Where I can be alone… Wait! You said a route you've used and footprints you know, not mine I assume, but whose?" Gale could have come out here with anyone, even at his age he's good looking enough that I can imagine him as my age bringing anyone out here for alone time I guess

"Catnip…." Now he seemed to go to the place Mom and Dad go, his memories.

"Who? Did they die in the fire? Or move away?"

" What oh right I've never called her that in front of you, your mother, Katniss Everdeen….. Oops! Mellark!" he seemed hurt by my last name by Mom and Dad.

"Mom! You are such a liar I can't believe that _you_ would lie to me! Mom of all people! Ha she has too many bad memories to be that person."I couldn't believe his sudden need to lie to me I love my mom I respect her and I know that she has been through a lot but to believe that this scared woman could be someone to run away to the woods for comfort.

A smile crept onto his face "so I suppose that those footprints leading to this exact spot where her and I used to sit are yours despite the fact that your feet about half a size smaller. Or those berries that you wouldn't know if they were edible have been eaten by you and hidden in the place we would put extra food. Face it Rue you are your mother's daughter. You are following in her footsteps." He paused to smile at me again "In more ways then one."


	3. Chapter 3: The Huntress

**a/n:** sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out life's been busy and honestly I had no idea where I wanted the story to go but just kinda go tith this chapter because its setting up for a big move on Rue's part. Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games the characters setting and general plot belong to Suzanne Collins**

'My mothers daughter' how could I be. I help her around the house because I have to. I'm a daddy's girl if anything and I'm not even that close to him! But gale... Gale has never lied to me before... Has he? I mean sure when I was little he told me about Santa the tooth fairy Easter bunny and well all those other figures a child needs... But he never really lied to me...

Some things I know about my mom:she doesn't leave the district she hums but never sings she was good with a bow and arrow once, and they still lie around the house, but she never touches them anymore. So my mom sneaking out of the district? I couldn't see it! She cried when she looked at them sometimes her father would hunt illegally I only know that because he was infamous in district 12... When it was district twelve... Now it's called the Hob no one ever told me what that was but my mom got to name the town so must have been important to her.

I shook my head and reentered the present. Gale was smirking at me.i looked at him trying to figure out why he was staring at me like this... Why he was telling me this.

Finally he asked "so where is your mother today?"

"In the market like she always is on Tuesdays." I answered immediately "why?"

"Well," he started "I don't believe that for a minute. Follow me blondie." Then he started walking into the woods. I didn't even have time to protest his awful nickname for me. He's been calling me blondie since I was born because I have my fathers hair and he just loved to make blond jokes about it.

I started rushing after him and was caught off guard by how silent he was in the woods. I couldn't believe that the man who I had known as a goody goody who walks like a herd of elephants on our nice floors was silent the woods. It was as if he were walking on a bunch of pillows for the amount of noise he makes.

"Wait! Gale! Where are we going? What's go-" but I didn't need to finish because we had reached what he wanted to show me "there is no way on earth that that is my-"

"Shhhhhh you'll scare off the elusive catnip" Gale whispered in my ear with his hand clamped over my mouth "stay here, stay quiet and stay hidden" with that Gale went silently down the hill to my mother.

"Hey catnip!" He just yelled at me to be quiet but yelled down to my mother now, she didn't flinch she didn't look in his direction she didn't move anything but her lips.

"Quiet you'll scare off the game!" Her tone was quiet but you could tell she was serious and threatening him. Then her hand releases the arrow which flys up into the trees taking out a squirrel by the eye.

"Room for improvement there don't you think?"

"Hey Gale" my mother looked happy as she turned and hugged her best friend. Normally she gets distant for awhile and apologizes to him a couple times. "What are you doing here?"

"I have some business here in the Hob and some news I wanted to share with you guys first." With a smile he released her "we should round up your baby birds mockingjay so I can share the news" he didn't mean to I know he didn't! His eyes for a split second flitted up to my hiding place. His expression became hard and hs breathing shallow but only for a split second then he was composed, but it was to late. She had seen this reaction to the thought of me and already had her bow notched at my heart. My gasp of fear and shock had partially given my spot away.

"Katniss no!" Gale yelled sending rabbits squirrels and birds running for cover.

"Show yourself! I've killed before and ill do it again if need be!"

I knew I shouldn't have but I was angry with her now. For hiding this part of her life from us. Finnick has no idea about the woods and her father sneaking off years ago and now she's doing this!

"You've killed! And you'd point an arrow in the woods around our home at even the thought of a person! I can't believe you! Your hiding stuff from us ! Does dad even know?" I was on my feet now in full view. Her arrow was on the ground and she was in shock. Gale just looked apologetic for me... For her... For both of us. " I can't believe you! I really can't! All my life you've been keeping secrets from me! You know what just leave me alone! Don't follow me!" And with that I ran off into the woods back towards the Hob.


	4. Chapter 4: Escape

**All I own is Mitch everything else belongs to Suzanne Collins **

"Deep… in the… meadow. Under… the willow," I could feel the tears cutting streaks down my face. "A bed of… grass... a soft green… pillow," I continued to sing through choking sobs. Right now I'm hiding in one of my favorite spots to be alone. I'm not sure exactly how I got here. When I ran from that liar of a mother I just let my feet carry me without paying much attention to where I was going. It's a hollowed out tree trunk, from here I can see everything but I'm virtually invisible.  
It's in this spot that I decide that I can't put up with the lies anymore. That I decide it's time for me to learn the truth about my parents, but not from them. I look out into the woods and started to formulate a plan. Ill leave. Hop on a train and go through the districts asking about Katniss Everdeen/Mellark, and Peeta Mellark. This is also the perfect chance for me to see the rest of the country.

An hour later I'm sneaking around my house packing a bag with just enough to get me by. I make it look like I could still be coming home at dusk like I usually do. The only drastic difference is that my hidden stash of money has been emptied. I'm about to sneak back out my window when I hear my mother talking.  
"She saw me! Peeta, Rue saw me in the woods with Gale-"  
"Gales in town?" interrupted my father sounding a little defensive.  
"Yes he's down stairs but that's not the point! She saw me in the woods hunting I didn't know it was her and I… I aimed at her. I dropped my weapons as soon as a saw it was her but she ran off before I could explain. Peeta I don't know what to do! I don't know where she is!" she's… crying… does she really feel that bad?  
"Sweetheart, you know she's probably just hurt to find out the truth that way. Just as you would have been finding out someone you trust has been lying to you. Trust me that hurts. And Katniss you do know where she is. She's just like you. If you had just been hurt that way where would you go?"  
"I'd probably hide in a tree somewhere until I had worked through the pain and confusion. Then worked out a plan and followed it through no matter what." That's exactly what I did! And what I am doing… but I'm nothing like my mother!  
"Go" Dad whispered I know he's comforting her, protecting her as he always does no matter what the danger.  
At this point I leave out my window, crying again I'm nothing like my mother! Why does everyone keep saying that? I was headed to the train station if anyone asks I'll say I'm going to visit my grandmother. If my mother hears that she would instantly call her mother but seeing as how grandma travels a lot being a doctor mom wont be able to track me properly and it will be awhile before she even finds grandma.  
I get to the train station, buy my ticket, and quickly board the train. I find a seat by myself facing away from The Hob so whoever is looking for me won't see me. When someone sits down next to me I get scared for a moment that I had been found out.  
I turned to look at this person with caution.  
What I saw was a boy about my age who I've never seen before in town. He has dark brown hair that had a little length to it. His skin is the same tone as mine and his eyes are an emerald green.  
We just looked at each other for a moment not entirely sure what to make of each other. I just decided to stare out my window and listen to music when he smirked at me.  
"Hey I'm Mitch."


End file.
